War of the Kitchens
by Alex Glaven
Summary: *Akiko* Well, you wanted a fic for the season, so a special fic for Thanksgiving: Final Chapter. Need I say more?
1. The Mission to Break the Boredom

Alright, another stupid Holiday fic from yours truly, Akiko!  
Isaac: ::in orange "Someone has to write the stupid ideas!"::  
::sweatdrop:: Thanks for the vote of confidence, Isaac. Anyway, on  
with the fic!  
  
Chapter 1: The Mission to Break the Boredom  
  
Picard was bored.  
  
He had done everything he could think to do. He had practiced  
with his sword, he had killed some monsters, he had chopped some firewood  
for a little old lady, he had even used his Psynergy to save a guy who  
had been crushed under his house. But in the sleepy little town of Vale  
where he now lived, once the wood chopping and house crushed victim  
saving was done, very little was left to do.  
  
Which left the Lemurian, on a perfectly beautiful summer day  
visiting Felix.  
  
He liked Felix, who had lived in Vale all his life except for a  
nearly four year period where he had been "dead". They had shared many  
adventures and horrors on the high seas together, standing up against  
foes to protect Jenna and Sheba...  
  
*~Flash Back~*  
  
"I don't want to die!" Felix screamed, staring up at the  
tentacles of the Kraken.  
  
"Dear Lord, have mercy upon us!" Picard prayed. They were  
cowering against the railing opposite of the Kraken, avoiding anything to  
do with the terrifying sea monster.  
  
"You guys are wimps," Jenna snorted, casting Dragon Fire.  
  
"Yeah, you think you boys would be the ones defending US," Sheba  
cast Spark Plasma, and the Kraken sank below the boiling waters of the  
deep...  
  
*~End of Flash Back~*  
  
Picard banished the memory, continueing his way to Felix's house.  
Upon arriving, he found they were out in the front yard. Everyone from  
Vale that knew Felix and Jenna was standing out there. It was really a  
shame that half of them had moved to Kalay. Sheba had on a traveling  
robe and a basket in one hand.  
  
"Picard, you're just in time!" Jenna yelled.  
  
"I'm so glad you're here!" Felix said, running up to him. "Sheba  
has to deliver these cookies to Kalay, and I can't take her. Would you?"  
  
"I guess so," Picard shrugged. "I have nothing better to do."  
  
"Good, because the path will be fraught with many dangers,"  
Jenna's eyes narrowed. "A Bakery Shop that opened in Kalay wants to get  
these from you, so you'd better be careful! It's run by Karst and  
Agatio, by the way."  
  
"WHAT?!" Picard yelled. But before he could formally protest, he  
was being pushed out of the gates of Vale.  
  
"Bye Picard!" Felix waved. "Good luck!"  
  
"Pow pow, Picard!" Jenna yelled.  
  
Picard decided it would be pointless to figure out what she was  
saying.  
  
"We're heading to Garet's Kitchen in Kalay," Sheba explained as  
they began their journey. "We need to deliver these cookies in time for  
Thanksgiving."  
  
Picard looked around. Rather than the landscape looking  
more...Thanksgivingy, it was as if it was Spring. He shrugged, why  
bother saying anything? It would probaby bring a big pile of snow on top  
of him.   
  
And thus began the quest of Picard and Sheba to deliver cookies  
to Garet's Kitchen.  
  
  
Well, I hope you enjoyed that, my still beloved reviewers!  
Isaac: ::in black "it was stupid"::  
You only think that 'cause you're not in it yet.  
Isaac: ::in green "Well..."::  
Don't worry, I'm not mean to Isaac in this one! Alright, you read it,  
you review it!  
Isaac: ::in red "you smelt it, you dealt it!"::  
Something like that...^_^;;; 


	2. Ice cream and the First Evil Henchman

Yay! I'm back with the second chapter!  
Isaac: ::in special happy rainbow colored marker "'Bout time"::  
Um...yeah. On with the story.  
  
Chapter 2: Ice cream and the First Evil Henchman  
  
Sheba and Picard were wandering along. While Picard had been  
hoping that SOMETHING would attack them, nothing did. In fact, it was  
the perfect day for traveling. The sun was shining, the birds in the  
trees were singing, and a nice balmy breeze was blowing down the path.   
The monsters all seemed to have gone into hibernation, despite the warm  
weather, and they hadn't even met anyone on the road.  
  
"I'm bored," Picard whined.  
  
At those words he suddenly tripped, tricking a wire. A giant  
scoop of ice cream, which had been held up by a net, came tumbling down  
on top of him.  
  
"Oh, Picard!" Sheba ran back. Only Picard's head and arms were  
visible.  
  
"Ow..." Picard muttered. "I need to keep my big mouth shut."  
  
Sheba grabbed his arms and began pulling. To no avail, she soon  
became tired. "Oh no? What are we going to do?"  
  
She stood up, still holding her basket of cookies, and began  
pacing. "I can't pull you out from under there, and it'll take hours for  
the ice cream to melt. But I can't go alone! It's too dangerous, and  
it'd be rude to leave you here, besides."  
  
Several more scoops of ice cream began falling, all just barely  
missing Sheba.  
  
"Hello, little girl," a raspy voice said. Sheba looked up.  
  
Sitting in the tree was...Saturos.  
  
"Y-y-you!" she shrieked, clutching her basket.  
  
"Me," Saturos smirked, leaping from the branch he was sitting on.  
Unfortunately he had forgotten that Mars Adepts are non too graceful,  
and he fell flat on his face. "Ow..." he quickly jumped to his feet,  
covered in dust. "I'm here for the cookies!"  
  
"No!" Sheba shrieked, holding the basket tighter. "Help me,  
Picard!"  
  
"I can't!" Picard struggled, but couldn't get out from under the  
pile of ice cream. "Stay away from her, Saturos!"  
  
"Haha!" Saturos laughed evilly, and grabbed for the basket.   
  
There was a popping noise, and a blast of fire. Saturos fell to  
the ground, burnt to a crisp.  
  
Floating in the air above Sheba was the Mars Djinni, Torch.  
  
"Torch! You saved us!" she said happily.  
  
Saturos leapt to his feet for a second time. "I'll be back, make  
no mistake!"  
  
And he ran off.  
  
Torch turned and used it's firey attack on the ice cream covering  
Picard.  
  
"Bleagh," Picard sat up, covering in melted ice cream.  
  
"Thank you so much, Torch!" Sheba hugged the Mars Djinni, which  
made a happy gurgling noise.   
  
"Speak for yourself..." Picard moaned, trying to rid his long  
blue hair of melted ice cream.  
  
  
Alright, that's it for Chapter 2!  
Isaac: ::in special happy rainbow colored marker "But I'm not in it  
yet!"::  
You will be, I promise! (But maybe Evil Neptune's right...)  
Isaac: ::in special happy rainbow colored marker that Akiko is going to  
take away someday soon because the name is far too long "WHAT was  
that?!"::  
Um...nothing! REVIEW! ::runs away::  
Isaac: ::chases after her, swinging his dry erase board:: 


	3. Lost and Hungry with Old Friends

I'm back with another chapter! Again, I hope you appreciate the rhyming  
summaries.  
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "Are you going to  
do that from now on?"::  
When I'm in the mood. Well, enjoy!  
  
Chapter 3: Lost and Hungry with Old Friends  
  
"We're lost," Picard muttered, looking around. They were deep in  
a cave, that they had somehow wandered into a while back. Everything was  
dark, and it was damp and creepy.   
  
"It's too bad Torch can't tell us where to go," Sheba looked down  
at the Mar Djinni in her arms, who made nonsensical but very cheerful  
noises.  
  
"How typical that out of ALL the Djinn we get the one that  
doesn't talk," Picard glared at Torch, who didn't notice. "Man...I'm  
hungry!"  
  
"Well, then, let's eat something!" Sheba sat down.  
  
"Hello?!"  
  
"Did you hear that?!" Sheba shrieked, jumping up and hiding  
behind Picard. The Mercury Adept drew his sword, prepared to meet any  
challenge.  
  
From around the bend came...Isaac and Mia.  
  
"Wow, we found you!" Isaac looked like he hadn't shaved for a  
couple of days, Mia looked dazed, and they both were very thin.   
  
"Yay..." Mia muttered. "I'm hungry."  
  
"That's not important right now," Isaac glared at her. "What's  
important is-"  
  
"Do you two want some cookies?" Sheba opened her basket. Inside  
was a pile of what appeared to be freshly baked cookies.  
  
"You didn't have to ask!" Mia and Isaac attacked the cookies,  
pulling the basket from Sheba's hands and devouring the majority of them.  
  
"W-wait!" Picard spluttered. "We have to deliver those to  
Garet's Kitchen in Kalay-"  
  
"Oh, don't worry, Picard!" Sheba smiled. "I can always make  
more!"  
  
Picard fell over.  
  
"Thanks, Sheba," Isaac handed her the empty basket. "We haven't  
eaten for days."  
  
"Yup, we've been in this cave looking for you," Mia nodded.  
  
"Do you know the way out?" Picard got back up.  
  
"Uh huh," Mia nodded. "Follow us!"  
  
They began walking, and passed a bend in the tunnel. Ahead was a  
bright light. Isaac pointed to it. "There's the exit!"  
  
"Of course," Picard muttered darkly.  
  
They made it out of the cave and back into the sun and bird song.  
  
"Well, be careful, Picard!" Isaac grinned. "Maybe we'll see you  
again!"  
  
"I hope so!" Sheba smiled, and her and Picard went on their way.  
  
"Do you think it's a good idea to let them go alone?" Mia asked,  
watching the two as they got farther and farther away, eventually  
disappearing behind a hill. "Their path is full of danger..."  
  
"Oh, they'll be alright," Isaac reassured her. "As long as they  
have this sword, the Gaia Blade, the weapon of ultimate destruction,  
they'll be fine!"  
  
He held up a sheathed blade.  
  
"THAT sword?" Mia pointed at it.  
  
Isaac stared at it for a moment. "Oh. Whoops."  
  
He started laughing, and Mia was quick to join in.  
  
"Guess they won't have it!" Isaac said between gasps for air.  
  
"Oh well!" Mia shrugged.  
  
Yup, it's official. This is the first Akiko fic with any hint of  
Isaac/Mia. Scary, huh?  
Isaac: ::in blue "I guess she isn't TOO bad..."::  
Well, we'll just see who shows up next time. REVIEW! 


	4. At the Bakery Shop

Well, I'm back with another chapter, mostly to comment on all of the  
reviews I got. Wow, I didn't think I'd actually make people upset by  
writing Isaac/Mia...and it isn't really Isaac/Mia! It's just HINTED that  
it's Isaac/Mia...  
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "You made me  
upset..."::  
Oh, be quiet. Anyway, we'll have a vote. Those who want it Garet/Mia  
say "BWAHAHAHA!", those who want it Isaac/Mia say "DOH!" and those who  
want something else entirely say "Shut up, Akiko. You're annoying."   
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "But be nice about  
it"::  
Please specify for "Shut up, Akiko. You're annoying." Okay, we ARE  
going to shut up and give you Chapter 4!  
  
Chapter 4: At the Bakery Shop  
  
"Have you taken the cookies from that little girl yet?" Agatio  
growled.  
  
"N-no, sir," Saturos said shakily. "I couldn't, sir! They had a  
Djinn with them, sir!"  
  
"Drats," Agatio muttered, scowling. "Sheba's cookies are  
supposed to be the best in both Angora and Gondowan...if I could get my  
hands on them then I could figure out how she does it..."  
  
"Sir, we came up with a different recipe!" Menardi dragged Alex  
out of the kitchen. Alex was the best cook either Karst or Agatio knew,  
so they had kidnapped him and now forced him to make them pastries for  
their bakery shop.   
  
"Good, let me try it," Agatio smiled. Menardi handed him a  
delicious looking cream puff. Agatio took it and popped it in it's  
mouth. "Hm...it's good...but it's too sweet! We have to convince  
everyone that we're selling diet foods, all of the girls out there are  
NUTS about making their waists thinner!"  
  
********  
  
~*In Vale*~  
"YES!" Jenna shrieked.  
  
"WHAT?!" Felix stuck his head around the corner, to find his  
sister standing on a bathroom scale. "Jenna...what are you..."  
  
The rest of his sentence was drowned out by Jenna's joy. "I LOST  
ANOTHER POUND THIS WEEK!"  
  
*******  
  
~*back at the Bakery*~  
  
"But I suppose it will do," Agatio nodded. "Drag him back into  
the kitchen and have him make a couple dozen."  
  
"C'mon, Alex," Menardi grabbed his collar.  
  
"NOOOO!" Alex yelled, trying to get loose.   
  
"Go out and try again, Saturos," Agatio glared at him. "And if  
you fail..."  
  
"I know, I'll have to answer to you," Saturos got up. "This time  
I'll make SURE to get those cookies!"  
  
And, with the twirl of his cape that was singed along the bottom,  
he was off.   
  
******  
  
Ah, poor Alex-chan! This is another reason why Alex isn't evil!  
Isaac: ::in the neon pastel orange "Because Menardi is the evil one"::  
Anywho, hope you enjoyed this, please review! And for those here who  
read "Adventures in Adept Training"...Um...first I would like to thank  
you for not sending me hate mail and your apparent patience, and second I  
would like to say...I have writer's block. I don't know how long it will  
be until I write up Chatper 10. Sorry...T_T Well, um, at least you're  
getting SOME fics from me, right? ^_^;;; 


	5. The Day Off, Among Other Things

Summary: Picard and Sheba take a vacation, but will Ivan give word of a  
situation? Saturos is evil, Agatio is worse, and that is the end of this  
little rhyming verse. *bows* Thank you!  
  
Alright, I'm back with another chapter! BE AFRAID! With so few days  
left until Thanksgiving, I might have to cram quite a few chapters into  
the next few days.  
Isaac: ::in neon pastel purple "Which means more fic for you guys! Be  
happy!"::  
That's a VERY interesting color...well, enjoy!  
  
Chapter 5: The Day Off, Among Other Things  
  
Picard and Sheba were tired of journeying, so when they reached  
the beach only one thing was on their mind.   
  
"VACATION!" they yelled in unison, running towards the water.   
Torch agreed with happy noises.  
  
It wasn't long until they were both in swimming suits. Sheba  
began making a sand castle with Torch, and Picard began doing what all  
Lemurians do in their spare time: Surfing!  
  
"Ah, what a beautiful day," Sheba gazed up at the sky.   
  
Torch made "yes I agree with you" noises, sticking a star fish on  
top of the sand castle, which looked remarkably like the Venus  
Lighthouse.  
  
"SHEBA!"  
  
Sheba whipped her head around. Coming towards her at a run was  
none other than...Ivan?  
  
"Ivan? What are you doing here?" she blinked.  
  
"Sheba, where's Picard?" Ivan stopped in front of her, leaning on  
his knees and panting. He looked like he was roasting in his full travel  
outfit. "I need to talk to him...urgent message..."  
  
"Hey, Ivan, what's up?" Picard jogged up to the pair, his  
surfboard under one arm.   
  
"Picard! Just the person I needed to see!" Ivan had managed to  
get his breath back, and was now using his lungs to their full extent.   
"Look, I have a REALLY urgent message from Garet. You see, that Bakery  
Shop opened by Agatio and Karst...they want..."  
  
"Torch, don't do that!" Sheba interrupted Ivan, scolding the  
Djinni. "You're a MARS Djinni, water isn't good for you!"  
  
Torch's ear wilted and he made sad noises, staring out at the  
water.  
  
"Um...you were saying, Ivan?" Picard asked.  
  
"Well, you see-"  
  
"I have you now, little girl!"  
  
Picard and Ivan both looked to the source of the voice. Saturos  
had a hold of Sheba's short hair, and was cackling evilly.  
  
"Let her go!" Picard realized that he didn't have his sword and  
cursed.  
  
"What do you want?" Sheba asked, looking very close to crying.  
  
"I want those cookies!" Saturos yelled.  
  
"The cookies?" Picard tried to remember where the cookies were.   
Then he remembered that he and Sheba had found a beach house and she was  
going to cook some more, but hadn't had the chance to yet. "Oh, they're  
in the basket up at the beach house."  
  
He pointed to the house, where a cloth covered basket could just  
be made out, perched on the table on the porch.  
  
"Picard there are-" Sheba began to say before Picard winked.   
"Oh. Yeah, if you want the cookies, there they are!"  
  
"You're just going to give him the cookies?!" Ivan looked at  
them, shock and anger clear in his eyes. "What kind of protectors ARE  
you?"  
  
And he cast Spark Plasma. Saturos howled in pain, and went  
flying. He ended up landing on the porch, right next to the table.  
  
"Oh, no! He's going to get the cookies!" Picard said,  
exaggerating his statements immensly.  
  
"Great going, Ivan," Sheba also exaggerated what she was saying,  
glaring at Ivan. "Now he's going to get the cookies, and it's all your  
fault."  
  
"Let's get him!" Ivan yelled, charging up the hill.  
  
"Too late!" Saturos had managed to get to his feet. He grabbed  
the basket and ran off.  
  
"Oh well," Picard shrugged.  
  
"And it was such a nice basket, too," Sheba looked teary eyed.  
  
"What are you talking about?!" Ivan fumed. "Now Saturos is going  
to take the cookies back to the bakery shop and Agatio will get the  
secret recipe! Garet's Kitchen is DOOMED!"  
  
"You dolt," Picard glared at him. "There weren't any cookies in  
that basket."  
  
Ivan blinked. "There...weren't?"  
  
"Nope, I haven't had time to make any more," Sheba shrugged.   
"Isaac and Mia ate the last batch."  
  
*********  
  
~*At the Bakery*~  
  
"Agatio, I have the cookies," Saturos went on one knee, holding  
the basket up for Agatio.  
  
"Ah, good work, Saturos," Agatio lifted the cloth.  
  
Nothing.  
  
"You IDIOT!" Agatio fumed. "It's EMPTY! There's nothing in  
here!"  
  
"B-but...b-b-but..." Saturos stuttered.  
  
"I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" Agatio roared, casting Pyroclasm.  
  
"AAGH! WAIT!" Saturos tried dodging the huge collumns of flame.   
"LET ME HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE!"  
  
"No, this time I'm sending someone more professional!" Agatio  
whipped around. "Menardi! Come out here!"  
  
"Yes, sir?" Menardi came out of the kitchens.   
  
"I want you to go and get those cookies," Agatio's eyes were mere  
slits, and he looked more likely to breathe fire than Tiamat. "GO!"  
  
*******  
  
~*Back at the Beach*~  
  
"Well, it was nice to have a day off," Sheba said as they made  
their way up to the beach house.  
  
"Yup, it was," Picard yawned. "Oh, didn't you have something to  
say, Ivan?"  
  
Ivan looked like he was listening to something else. "Just be  
careful, Picard. I have to go."  
  
And he ran off.  
  
"Strange kid," Picard muttered. "Let's go, Sheba."  
  
Okay, I have no idea what's going to happen from here, so expect lots of  
crazy, silly, pointless chapters!   
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "Akiko would like  
to thank everyone who reviews, without them, she would just stop  
writing"::  
Probably. Well, thank you! See you all next chapter! 


	6. The Bridge and the Second Henchmwoman

Alright, I'll shut up. T_T You people are so cruel...T_T  
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "Poor Akiko."::  
Well, here we go!  
  
Chapter 6: The Bridge and the Second Henchm...woman  
  
After traveling through another cave, Picard and Sheba found  
themselves at the edge of a huge, gaping black canyon. The walls were to  
deep to climb down to the bottom, which was lost in darkness, and it was  
far too wide to cross.  
  
Luckily, there was rope and board bridge spanning the gap.  
  
"Picard, I'm scared," Sheba grabbed onto the back of his tunic,  
staring down into the black abyss.  
  
"Don't worry, Sheba! I'll protect you!" Picard carefully toed  
the first board before putting his weight on it. "See? It' sturdy!"  
  
That was when the wind picked up, whistling along the canyon  
walls and causing the bridge to sway, Sheba shrieked and held tighter  
onto Picard.  
  
"Don't worry, we'll be safe," Picard reassured her. Sheba nodded  
and they started slowly making their way across. They were halfway to  
the other side when someone behind them started yelling.  
  
"Picard! Sheba!"  
  
They turned around, it was Isaac and Mia, standing at the  
begining of the bridge.  
  
"Hey!" Picard waved. "What are you guys doing here?"  
  
"We forgot to give you something!" Isaac yelled back.  
  
"Well well well, aren't we in trouble."  
  
They turned around, and standing at the other end of the bridge  
was Menardi, a small fireball in her hand. She smirked and tossed the  
fireball up and down.  
  
Torch squeaked and hid under Sheba's robe.  
  
"Now, give me the cookies and I'll let you get over here,"  
Menardi said threateningly.  
  
"Don't give her the cookies, Picard!" Isaac yelled. "That recipe  
can't be used for evil!"  
  
"Garet's Kitchen will close if you give her those cookies!" Mia  
screamed.  
  
"Picard, I'm scared," Sheba whispered.  
  
Picard ground his teeth, he didn't know what to do. He was stuck  
in the middle of a bridge, Menardi on the side he wanted to get to, and  
Isaac and Mia on the other end. He had to protect Sheba, but he couldn't  
let Menardi get the cookies...  
  
"Fine, have the coo-" he started to say, when he realized that he  
and Sheba weren't alone on the bridge. "Torch!"  
  
Torch made a noise to signal that he had heard.  
  
"Attack Menardi! GO!" Picard pointed.  
  
Torch made a determined noise and flew at Menardi...  
  
...Who batted him harmlessly away with her scythe. "That won't  
work, Lemurian."  
  
She took a step out onto the bridge, holding the fireball  
menacingly near the old ropes.   
  
A strong gust of wind picked up, and the bridge swayed  
dangerously. Menardi's fireball touched one of the ropes, just barely...  
  
But the wind was doing its job without the fire, breaking the  
slats of the bridge up and tearing at the burning ropes.  
  
Sheba screamed, just before they fell into the darkness.  
  
Ha, and just for telling me to be quiet, CLIFF HANGER!  
Isaac: ::in neon pastel blue "Almost literally! And yes, there is such a  
color! Thank Evil Neptune, he gave me the box!"::  
Alright, stay tuned for Chapter 7, but if you don't review I won't  
update! 


	7. Quite the Predicament

We're back!  
Isaac: ::in midnight blue "Do I have to write in these colors?"::  
I dunno. Let's ask the reviewers. Does Isaac have to write in these  
colors?  
Isaac: ::in dark green "They're boring and dull"::  
I'm sorry. We'll see what they say in the next chapter!  
  
Chapter 7: Quite the Predicament  
  
Picard opened his eyes.  
  
He was lying on his back on something hard and rather poky.   
Everything was dark, except for a thin stripe of light far, far above  
him.  
  
"Ow..." he sat up, and realized he had been lying on the hilt of  
his sword. He looked around, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the  
gloom.  
  
"You're okay!" Sheba wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm so  
happy!"  
  
"What happened?" he asked groggily.  
  
"Your little friend here used whirlwind at the last second."  
  
Picard looked over. There was a small fire a little ways off,  
Menardi was huddled in its glow, Isaac and Mia had their weapons pressed  
to her throat.  
  
Everything came back to Picard in a flash. The bridge, Menardi  
lighting the ropes on fire, falling to certain doom.  
  
"Wow, thanks Sheba," he grinned at her. "We would have been  
goners if it weren't for you!"  
  
"We're still going to be goners," Menardi shifted slightly, and  
Isaac pressed his sword into her neck threateningly. "I mean, we're in a  
deep, dark abyss. What are we supposed to do to get out of here? We  
seem to be in quite a predicament."  
  
"I dunno," Picard shrugged. "But we'll think of something!"  
  
"I doubt it," Menardi laughed, a really high pitched and annoying  
sound.  
  
"Where's Torch?" Sheba looked around. "I can't find him  
anywhere. I know Menardi hit him during the battle, but he should be  
recovered by now!"  
  
She burst into hopeless tears.  
  
"Menardi!"  
  
"Hey, did you guys hear that?" Mia looked up. The rest of them  
did, too.  
  
"MENARDI!" the voice came louder this time, it was Saturos. "Are  
you down there?!"  
  
"YEAH, I AM!" Menardi screamed so Saturos could hear her.  
  
"I brought Alex!" Saturos yelled back. "He's going to teleport  
down there and bring you back up!"  
  
On cue, there was a flash of blue and white light, and Alex  
appeared in their midst.  
  
"Alex!" Mia glared at him. "You stupid traitor!"  
  
"I'm sorry," he shrugged hopelessly. "C'mon, Menardi."  
  
"Wait, Alex, this is your big chance to escape!" Sheba said  
quickly. "You could teleport far away from here! You don't have to save  
Menardi!"  
  
"Hey, good idea!" Alex grinned. There was a flash of blue and  
white light...  
  
********  
~*Somewhere Very Far Away*~  
  
"Thanks, Alex," Picard said to the Mercury Adept. "You saved our  
lives."  
  
"We'd better get going, we have to take these cookies to Garet's  
Kitchen in Kalay," Sheba swung the basket. Her and Picard left.  
  
"Guess I'll just tag along with you guys," Alex looked hopefully  
at Mia and Isaac.  
  
"Sure, Alex!" Isaac agreed, then noticed that Mia was growling  
and turning red. "If Mia agrees, of course."  
  
********  
~*In the bottom of the abyss*~  
  
"MENARDI! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Saturos asked.  
  
"This is going to be a long night..." Menardi muttered.  
  
Yup! No cliff hanger here! Be happy!  
Isaac: ::in black "I want to write in my happy, special, rainbow colored  
marker"::  
Well, how 'bout it, folks? Let's make this fic interactive for my muse.  
Should he use dark, easy to read colors or bright vibrant colors that  
make you go blind and give you a head ache but at least they're cool?   
You decide, but only if you review! 


	8. The BakeOff of the Century

Okay, this is getting stupider every day. But Isaac has his happy  
special rainbow colored and neon pastel markers back. Thanks to all who  
voted! Sorry, Wolf Child. I guess you'll just have to suffer with the  
rest of us!  
Isaac: ::writes something in neon pastel yellow::  
Different color, Isaac! I can't even read that!  
Isaac: ::writes something in neon clear::  
Isaac...  
Isaac: ::in neon pastel purple "Is that better?"::  
Yes, it is. On with the story!  
  
Chapter 9: The Bake-Off of the Century  
  
Picard and Sheba had wandered into a town. It was a fairly  
standard town, in fact, it was...Lunpa?  
  
"Hey, how'd we get in Lunpa?" Picard looked around. "Oh, that  
MORON, Alex, must've teleported the wrong way!"  
  
"Oh well, let's go back to Vault and try again!" Sheba smiled.   
Picard fell over. "Picard, are you okay?"  
  
"Come one, come all!" a voice from town square was saying. "And  
try the delicious cookie recipe used only by those of Laveliro!"  
  
"What the..." Sheba muttered, striding forward. Picard got to  
his feet and ran after her.  
  
"Sheba, what is it?" Picard caught up to her. In the town square  
on a raised pavillion was a guy dressed in blue with equally blue hair.   
  
ut it wasn't Alex, in fact, Picard didn't know who it was.  
"Here, little lady," he handed Sheba a cookie. All of the people  
gathered around had cookies, and were marvelling at their tastes. "Have  
a delicacy only found in the desert town of Laveliro!"  
  
Sheba took a bite, then gave the man a look of doom. "They  
SUCK!"  
  
"Wha-?" the man looked rather surprised.  
  
"These aren't cookies made in Laveliro!" she fumed. "These  
aren't very good cookies at all! All of the right ingredients were used,  
but you didn't put your heart into it!"  
  
"Hahahaha!" the man regained his composure. "What would you  
know, little girl? I, the great cooking master Sean, hereby challenge  
you to a cooking contest!"  
  
"Alright!" Sheba rolled up her sleeves.  
  
"Sheba...do we really have time for this?" Picard asked.  
  
"I'm sorry, Picard," Sheba said. "But my honor and the honor of  
my home town is at stake! I MUST win this contest!"  
  
In a matter of moments two booths had been set up. Sheba began  
furiously pulling ingredients off of shelves, whipping up a batch of  
cookies.   
  
"She must be from Laveliro," Sean muttered. "I'll never win if  
she is, I'll have to sabatoge her cookies!"  
  
He snuck over while Sheba's back was turned and began putting  
spices in her bowl. "A little of this...a little of that..."  
  
Twenty minutes later, Sheba's cookies were done, and Sean was  
just starting to make the batter for his.  
  
"Ugh..." he muttered. "I was too busy sabatoging her cookies...I  
might lose anyway!"  
  
"THESE are the REAL cookies of Laveliro!" Sheba presented a tray  
proudly. The citizens of the town came up and began trying them.  
  
"They're a little spicy," one of the women admitted. "But  
they're delicious! I've never had a better cookie!"  
  
The rest of the town agreed with her, fanning their mouths.  
  
"Haha!" Sheba smiled, hugging Torch. "The REAL cookies of  
Laveliro will win every time!"  
  
********  
~*Half an Hour Later*~  
  
"Finally, my cookies are done," Sean put out his tray, but no one  
was there to eat them. "Ah...dagnabbit! I lost!"  
  
A cloaked figure seperated itself from the shadows and came over,  
tasting one of the cookies.  
  
"Not bad," a woman's voice came from under the hood. "How would  
you like to work in a Bakery Shop? We just lost our last cook to our  
rivals."  
  
"Sounds tempting," Sean smiled. "You are...?"  
  
"Karst," the woman said. "Come with me."  
  
Okay, you know what you have to do now!   
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "REVIEW!"::  
Actually, I was going to say take a lot of Tylenol.  
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "Oh."::  
But reviewing is nice, too! 


	9. And The True Villain Appears

And I'm back, with Chapter 9.   
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "Isn't it a little  
late to be writing fan fiction?"::  
Yes. Oh well.  
Isaac: ::in red "Sorry, this is the closest I can get to a big red  
crayon. Crayon doesn't do too well on white boards"::  
We learned this from experience, didn't we.  
Isaac: ::in neon pastel magenta "Oh, yes. That we did..."::  
  
Chapter 9: And The True Villain Appears  
  
"How's our new cook doing?" Agatio asked.  
  
"Rather well," Karst handed him a jelly filled doughnut. "He  
even has a fake cookie recipe."  
  
"But we need the real one, right?" Saturos asked.  
  
"We can do it!" Menardi agreed.  
  
"How'd you get out of that dark, deep, abyss anyway?" Karst  
looked at her older sister.  
  
"The same way I got out of the Venus Lighthouse. Very  
carefully," Menardi replied.  
  
"So, can we go get the cookies from Sheba?" Saturos would not be  
distracted from the subject at hand.  
  
Agatio looked at them. "No."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"You're no good lay abouts that eat all of the food," Agatio  
glared at them. "You're fired."  
  
"WHAT?!"   
  
"You heard me! You're fired! Out of my sight!"  
  
*******  
~*Back With Our Heroes*~  
  
Sheba and Picard had made it to Vault.  
  
Actually they had made it past Vault and were now heading towards  
Kalay, which was a good thing, Thanksgiving wasn't too far away.  
  
"I can't wait until we get there!" Sheba said. "There's going to  
be a big Thanksgiving feast at Garet's Kitchen and EVERYONE will be there  
and it's going to be wonderful!"  
  
"Right," Picard nodded.   
  
"Aren't you excited?"  
  
"Yup," Picard nodded again.  
  
"You're not listening to me!" Sheba whined.  
  
"Yes I am!" Picard snapped.  
  
That was when a deep, evil laughter filled the air. Picard  
looked around wildly, but all he saw was trees.  
  
"Show yourself!" he yelled.  
  
Another laugh followed the first, this one very high pitched and  
annoying, like nails on a chalkboard. Picard and Sheba dropped  
everything and covered their ears.   
  
"WHAT is that AWFUL noise?!" Picard yelled.  
  
"I don't know!" Sheba started crying.  
  
The sound cut out, and Karst and Agatio stepped out of the  
surrounding shrubbery.  
  
"Try to keep those cookies out of our hands now, little girl,"  
Karst smirked.  
  
"I won't let you get to Sheba!" Picard picked up his sword and  
jumped out in front of Sheba. "C'mon, Torch!"  
  
Torch made his "Yeah, let's kick butt!" sound.  
  
"Heh, you can't stop us, little boy," Agatio smirked, casting  
Pyroclasm.  
  
White hot pillars of fire and magma burst up from the ground.   
When they died down, a very burnt Picard stumbled a bit before falling  
over, Torch at his side.  
  
"Picard!" Sheba screamed. "You killed Picard!"  
  
"Pow Pow, Picard!" another voice from the surrounding trees  
yelled.  
  
"What was that?" Agatio asked, just as Jenna swung out of a tree  
and kicked him in the face. He fell into Karst, and they tumbled into  
the bushes together.  
  
"Jenna! You saved us!" Sheba squeaked.  
  
Jenna winked. "You betcha!"  
  
Felix came out of the bushes. "Dang, Picard, I thought you could  
handle this!"  
  
"Shut up, old man," Picard muttered.  
  
"O-old man?!" Felix's eyes widened.  
  
"Picard! You're alive!" Sheba squealed.   
  
"Hi Sheba," he smiled up at her.  
  
Felix was fuming. "Oh, sure, remember HER. I'm not an old man!   
I'm not going to cure you now!"  
  
"Felix..." Jenna growled, her tone very dangerous indeed.  
  
"But I will anyway out of the goodness of my heart," Felix cast  
Potent Cure. Picard sat up, completely healed.  
  
"Thanks, Felix!" he grinned.  
  
NOW he remembers who I am," Felix growled.  
  
*********  
~*At the Bakery Shop*~  
  
"Hm...this calls for drastic measures," Agatio smirked. "Sean,  
come here."  
  
"What is it?" a very annoyed Sean, wearing a Chef's hat, came out  
of the kitchen.  
  
"We have a little job for you...I hope you're interested..."  
  
Well, review as always! Or you'll never find out what Agatio is  
plotting!  
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "She's mean like  
that"::  
You bet I am! Alright, I'm goin' to bed. Goodnight everyone!  
Isaac: ::in blue "G'NIGHT!":: 


	10. Never Travel Without a Jupiter Adept

No wanna work on story no more.  
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "Don't mind her.   
She's tired."::  
Story stupid.  
Isaac: ::in blue "Uh...Akiko? Why do you keep writing chapters so late  
at night?"::  
Don't have time during the day.  
Isaac: ::in blue "Oh. Makes sense."::  
  
Chapter 10: Never Travel Without a Jupiter Adept  
  
Felix and Jenna had gone off somewhere, leaving Picard and Sheba  
to continue on their own.   
  
"We should be getting to Kalay pretty soon!" Picard said. "I  
can't wait!"  
  
"Neither can I!" Sheba smiled.  
  
Which was when the bushes started shaking.  
  
"Stay behind me, Sheba," Picard warned, stepping in front of her  
and drawing his sword.   
  
From behind the screen of bushes came...Garet.  
  
"GARET?!" they asked in unison.  
  
"Hi, guys!" Garet smiled. It was definately Garet, he had the  
tall spiky hair and everything. "I've been waiting for those cookies, it  
sure took you long enough!"  
  
"Sorry," Picard grinned sheepishly, sheathing his sword. "We've  
been sort of sidetracked. First we get attacked a lot, and then some  
idiot Mercury Adept teleported us all the way back to Lunpa..."  
  
"It's alright," Garet waved it off.  
  
"So, what are you doing out here?" Sheba asked.  
  
"Oh, I thought I'd meet you guys out here and get the cookies  
from you," Garet said. "I didn't think you'd want to go all the way to  
Kalay just to deliver some cookies."  
  
"But...what about the big Thanksgiving Banquet?" Picard asked.  
  
"Cancelled," Garet shrugged. "Too much competition from the  
Bakery Shop."  
  
Sheba looked perplexed. "But if we're not doing the banquet then  
why do you need the cookies?"  
  
"I need the recipe," Garet replied. "To beat out the Bakery  
Shop. With the cookies of Laveliro, I could really make some great  
sales-"  
  
"Wait a minute, you said you didn't need my secret recipe,"  
Sheba's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Just give me the cookies!" Garet growled.  
  
"Woah, calm down, Garet," Picard said quickly. "They're just  
cookies. Well, Sheba?"  
  
Sheba closed her eyes and cast Mind Read.  
  
"You're not Garet!" she shreiked. "You're an imposter!"  
  
"That's right, little girl," the fake Garet said in a voice that  
sounded quite different. "Now, hand over the cookies!"  
  
"No!" Sheba clutched the basket tighter.  
  
"Who are you?" Picard drew his sword and pointed it at the  
imposter's neck.  
  
"I am Sean, the world's greatest cook and warrior!" the fake said  
haughtily. "And I will have those cookies if it kills me."  
  
"The...greates cook and warrior, huh?" Picard didn't look  
impressed. He put his sword away for the second time that day and  
stepped to one side. "He's all yours, Sheba."  
  
"Thank you, Picard," Sheba said in a deceptively sweet voice, and  
cast Tempest. Sean was pulled up into the twisters and sent flying,  
screaming like a little girl the entire time.  
  
"Remind me not to make you mad," Picard said nervously. "And to  
never travel without a Jupiter Adept."   
  
'Kay, review and stuff.  
Isaac: ::in blue "That was almost a complete sentence"::  
Uh huh...why're you writing in blue?  
Isaac: ::in blue "I like blue"::  
Oh. 'Kay. 


	11. The Get the Cookies Using a Giant Hole P...

And once again I'm pulling a late night trying to finish this fic by  
Thanksgiving. Uh...when is Thanksgiving, anyways?  
Isaac: ::in a sparkely pink and purple marker "Tomorrow"::  
TOMORROW?!   
Isaac: ::in glittery green and blue "Yup!"::  
AAAAAAGH! ::panics::  
  
Chapter 11: The Get the Cookies Using a Giant Hole Plan!   
  
"Fire ME, will he?" Saturos muttered under his breath. He wasn't  
sure where Menardi was, but that didn't matter. He didn't need her. "NO  
one fires Saturos! I'll steal those cookies for myself and make my own  
cookie shop and then no one will EVER fire me again!"  
  
He looked at the hole he had been digging, and felt rather  
satisfied with himself. "There, that ought to do it. Now I'll just  
cover it up and when Sheba and Picard walk by they'll fall into the trap,  
and I'll offer to let them out if they give me the cookies, so they will,  
and then I'll leave them in there for forever!"  
  
He laughed evilly, covering the hole with sticks, leaves, and  
dirt.   
  
"I call it the 'Get the Cookies Using a Giant Hole' Plan!" he  
declared.   
  
"Pow pow Picard!" he could hear Sheba from down the path. "Pow  
pow Picard!"  
  
"Why do you guys say that?" Picard voice asked.  
  
"Your name's just funny like that!"  
  
"Oh goody...lucky me..."  
  
Saturos quickly hid in the bushes.  
  
Sheba and Picard came into view, walking along the path,  
completely unsuspecting.  
  
Saturos jumped out in front of them. "Give me the cookies!"  
  
"Not on your life!" Picard tackled him, and they both landed on  
the spot where Saturos had hid the hole. They crashed through leaves and  
sticks, ending up at the bottom.  
  
"Ow..." Picard muttered.  
  
"Ow?" Saturos whined. "YOU landed on ME!"  
  
"YOU are wearing ARMOR!" Picard pointed out.  
  
"Picard!" Sheba's worried face appeared at the distant top of the  
hole. "Are you okay!"  
  
"Sheba!" Picard jumped up, now standing on Saturos' back.   
  
"Oh no!" Sheba looked distraught. "I'll...go get help!"  
  
And she disappeared.  
  
"Well, I hope she hurries," Picard sat down, all while still on  
Saturos. The Mars Adept grunted in pain, but Picard ignored him. "What  
was this hole doing here, anyway?"  
  
"I dug it," Saturos admitted.   
  
"Why?" Picard looked down at him.  
  
"I was going to trap you and Sheba in it, but I got so excited  
when I saw you guys on the path so I forgot my entire plan. Get off of  
me!" Saturos whined some more.  
  
"You know, you are the exact opposite of an evil enemy," Picard  
wacked him on the head. Saturos yelped. "Great...how long will it take  
Sheba to get back here?"  
  
"I don't know," Saturos growled.  
  
"So, what do we do for now?"  
  
"Um..." Saturos thought for a minute. "To be continued?"   
  
Eeeee....I'm in trouble. Tomorrow...tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow...HEY!  
Isaac: ::in a very shiny gold "Hm?"::  
If Thanksgiving is tomorrow why'd I have to work today?  
Isaac: ::in a very pretty aquamarine "They hate you, Akiko. It's all a  
conspiracy to stop you from writing fan fics"::  
I KNEW it! Hey...where'd you get those new markers?  
Isaac: ::in chartreuse "That's a secret! Review!":: 


	12. Banquets and Not So Evil ExHenchmen

Somehow, MIRACULOUSLY, I did it!  
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "You finished  
it?"::  
Yup! ENJOY!  
  
  
Chapter 12: Banquets and Not So Evil Ex-Henchmen  
  
"Checkmate."  
  
"AAARGH!" Saturos glared at the chess board. "That's the fifth  
time you've won!"  
  
"Want to go again?" Picard asked.  
  
"Let's play a different game," Saturos said.  
  
In a few minutes, Picard had already beaten Saturos at Checkers.  
  
"A different game!"  
  
And so it went, from Chess to Checkers to Black Jack to Go Fish.   
No matter what Saturos tried, Picard won every time.  
  
They were finally reduced to playing Tic Tac Toe after Saturos  
burned both the chess board and the pack of face cards.  
  
"I'm bored," Picard moaned.  
  
"At least you're winning," Saturos glared at him, drawing an "X"  
in the dirt with a stick. "Hey...wait...I won!"  
  
"Huh?" Picard gave him a bleary eyed look.  
  
"I WON!" Saturos bounced to his feet. "I won I won I won I won-"  
  
"Am I interrupting anything down here?" Alex warped into the  
hole.  
"Alex!" Picard jumped up. "Wow, I never thought I would be glad  
to see you!"  
  
"Shut up, or I'll leave you down here," Alex glared at him, then  
grabbed Picard's arm. "Hold on!"  
  
"Hey, what about me?"  
  
They looked over at Saturos, who had his best puppy dog face on.   
It was kind of scary, actually, considering he was blue and had red eyes.  
  
"You dug this whole in the first place!" Picard yelled.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry!" Saturos shot back.  
  
"And you work for Karst and Agatio!"  
  
"Not any more," Saturos wilted. "They fired me."  
  
"Well...well..."  
  
"Hey, forgive and forget," Alex grinned at Picard, and put one  
hand on Saturos' shoulder. "C'mon, let's go."  
  
And they warped away.  
  
*****  
  
They ended up in what appeared to be a large kitchen. Everyone  
was there, including Garet, who was stirring an enormous pot of stew.  
  
"Picard!" Sheba, who was sitting at a small table snacking on a  
cream puff waved him over.   
  
"Sheba!" Picard ran over. "You got here safely! Thanks for  
helping me out."  
  
He gave her a hug.   
  
Everyone else in the room had only one thing to say:   
"Awwwwww..."  
  
Picard blushed and backed away from Sheba, who was equally red.  
  
"Three cheers for Picard!" Isaac, who was sitting in the corner,  
called out. "For getting Sheba's cookies most of the way here safely!"  
  
"Pow pow Picard!" everyone shouted. "Pow pow Picard! Pow pow  
Picard!"  
  
"Will it never end?" Picard groaned.  
  
"Hey, guys, dinner's ready!" Garet announced, picking up his pot  
of stew and taking it through double doors that lead into...  
  
A huge dining room, complete with a long oak table set with  
enough places to feed all of Vale.  
  
"Thanks, Picard," Felix grinned. "All of this would have been  
impossible without you."  
  
They sat down to an enormous feast, citizens of Kalay coming in  
and sitting with them, and dug in.  
  
Saturos stood to the side uncertainly, watching everyone eat.   
Sheba noticed him. "Do you want to join us?"  
  
"R-really?" Saturos began crying tears of joy when she nodded,  
and hurred to sit down.  
  
*******  
~*At the Bakery Shop*~  
  
"Why isn't anyone coming in?" Agatio growled.  
  
"They should be, we advertised all over town, I cooked the entire  
thing myself," Sean frowned. "It must be your fault."  
  
"MY fault? How is it my fault?"  
  
"He has a point," Karst looked thoughtful. "You're big, scary,  
and you have a nasty temper. People want to be fed by easy going guys  
like Garet. It's all your fault."  
  
"Wanna say that again?" Agatio looked very dangerous.  
  
"You're a big stupid lug!" Karst screamed.  
  
"Oh, yeah!" Agatio cast Inferno.  
  
"YEAH!" Karst did the same.   
  
The unfortunate Sean was caught in the cross-fire.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"  
  
*********  
~*Back at the Kitchen*~  
  
"Hey, did you hear something?" Picard turned to Sheba.  
  
"Oh, who cares?"  
  
Isaac: ::in neon pastel pink "Hey, what about this myster marker that  
Violet gave me?"::  
She said you weren't supposed to use it.  
Isaac: ::in neon pastel pink "Can I try it out? PLEASE?!"::  
::sigh:: Fine.  
Isaac: ::starts writing with the mystery marker, it blows up in his  
face::   
::laughs her head off:: GOOD one, Violet! Well, I would like to thank  
EVERYONE who reviewed, it was you that made this possible! And if Isaac  
hadn't of blown his dry-erase board up, he'd thank you for all of the  
markers you gave him. ^_^ THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!! ::bows Japanese  
style:: Happy Thanksgiving, and all of that fun stuff!  
Isaac: ::holds up a sign that says "Can we go to Wal*Mart tomorrow?"::  
If it's open. ^_^ Thanks again, guys. Alright, I'm off to work on my  
other fics! 


End file.
